Congratulations to Steve Blevins and Greg Lee, both with Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., who have earned their CRFP. Steve and Greg have now joined this elite group of facility professionals and were recognized at RFMA 2015.

You too could become a CRFP — the Online CRFP Exam Prep Course is here to help you! The online prep course was designed by RFMA Member experts to help all RFMA members be the best restaurant facility professionals they can be. It's comprehensive. It's all-new. It's self-paced. And it's FREE for every RFMA member. So whether you're ready to brush up or expand your facility knowledge or go to the next level and take the exam for your CRFP credential — the choice is yours, and this one-of-a-kind course is for you!

Pictures from RFMA 2015RFMAClick here to view all of the pictures from RFMA 2015. You can order prints of any of the pictures from the website. We will also be placing some of the conference pictures on the RFMA website.

Facilitator: Work smarterTerry ByerlyIn this edition of Wet Your APPetite, find a review of two apps that made PCMagazine's "10 Must-Have iPhone Apps" list. Both can help you be more productive and organized in the workplace and in your personal life.

Benjamin Moore – Customer Care Program
Benjamin Moore introduces Customer Care, a powerful new service program for the facility maintenance industry. This program guarantees product availability & pricing consistency nationwide for property owners or managers, as well as, provides a centralized model for ordering, billing and project reporting. Learn more about becoming a Benjamin Moore Customer Care Member 201-949-6643.

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY

Meet the 2015 breakout brandsNation's Restaurant NewsWhat's next? What's new? The search for the next great restaurant concept is never-ending. Consumers, investors and franchisees alike are always looking out for a new brand poised to take the industry by storm.

7 factors consumers consider when choosing a restaurantNational Restaurant AssociationFor consumers, choosing where to eat is a complex decision. Today's diners are concerned about the quality of the food they're eating, but they're also looking at factors beyond food, like technology and a restaurant's environmental impact.

6 must-do strategies attracting millennial dinersFast CasualKnowing that millennials yield $1.7 trillion in direct spending power is too much for restaurants to ignore, which is why many of them have changed everything from their menu items to service models in an effort to indulge the 80 million millennial consumers.

We Manage HVAC/R & Plumbing Assets
Trinity National Accounts is a facilities management company specifically designed to handle HVAC/R/P assets and translates to savings for you!

How 'fast casual' restaurants are redesigning the fast food industryCBCFast food giants that proved so adept for decades at capturing the desires of children are finding it challenging to keep the new kids into adulthood. Millennials, it seems, want their food quick yet customized, and they are finding it with a new breed of restaurant called fast casual.

What really happens when disaster strikes?Building Operating ManagementWhat happens when emergencies stop being polite "what-ifs" contained tidily within the pages of an emergency response plan on the shelf, and instead collide with your facility? We like to think the worst only happens somewhere else, but in a recent Building Operating Management survey of facility managers, 79 percent of respondents said they had been responsible for or worked in a facility when it was affected by an emergency.

Change my own gaskets?!#!?[Total Refrigeration Gaskets]“Change my own gaskets?” you say? “I don’t know how!” Does it seem like your gasket is made into the door? You can’t see any screws or rivets that hold it in place, can’t even figure out how to get it off, much less put on a new gasket?

Giving effective feedback when you're short on timeHarvard Business ReviewIt's not easy to help your employees develop even as you take advantage of every business opportunity, but you can make coaching easier on yourself, in part by giving feedback efficiently.

4 simple steps that will empower your people to do betterFast CompanyEvery boss has managed at least one employee who doesn't respond to coaching — you might have one on your team right now. While it's easy to blame poor performance on the employee, there may be another culprit: your communication style.

Industry survey: Simple signageAV MagazineChanging technology has removed some of the barriers to digital signage projects, with retail activity burgeoning as a result. But channel, content and interactive issues remain to be resolved, says Peter Lloyd.

We provide pavement construction and maintenance at more than 4,000 locations throughout the U.S. & Puerto Rico. From paving the parking lot at a distribution center to correcting drainage and sewer lines at a retail locations; with KAI, you always get what’s best for your project and your budget.

If you have water that is being heated for cooking or beverages then you have scale forming in that equipment. Scale negatively impacts taste of foods and beverages in addition to the maintenance nightmare caused in equipment.

How iPad ordering changes the way diners tipFSRAccording to a new study, consumers prefer iPad tipping the most in casual restaurants, compared to fine-dining and even quick-service establishments, and this presents casual-dining operators offering iPad POS systems a chance to improve the guest experience — and thus the tip amount a guest leaves.

grab the solution
ProTecBar is designed to match the existing metal of entry door push or pull bars in pliable plastic to cover unsightly abrasion and scratches as well as providing additional protection against similar issues. ProTecBar can be installed by snapping the piece over the bar without tools or removal of bar.

The food deliveryman of tomorrow doesn't work for a restaurantBloombergGrubHub has been hinting for years that its future would include actually delivering food. In February the company made a big step toward taking its digital business into the physical world with the acquisition of two major delivery services, Restaurants on the Run and DiningIn.

Back-of-house tipping policiesRestaurant BusinessIn most states, sharing the tip pool with the back of house is not legal. However, there are exceptions. The best way to have clarity on this topic is for house tipping policies to be clearly outlined at the outset of employment.

How to make the accomplishments of young people countBetty BoydDeveloping the leaders of the future can be a difficult task, especially as young people enter the labor force. In today's environment, we need to figure out how to make a young person's accomplishments count when they are working alongside older leadership.

Energy purchasing: 5 mistakes to avoidFacility ExecutiveEnergy purchasing has traditionally been, and continues to be, an important aspect of facility management. With lighting, heating, and cooling consuming 54-71 percent of total energy use depending on climate, this raises the question: What steps are successful facility managers taking to control and reduce these costs?

Energy Saving Performance Contracts: Can you cut lighting costs?Federal TimesThe federal government is taking a leadership role in setting new standards for energy efficiency, establishing goals for net-zero installations and improving operational energy security. Energy Saving Performance Contracts are effective tools in this proactive approach to sustainability and energy savings.

What will the restaurant of the future look like?The TelegraphPizza delivered by drone and virtual serving staff? It may seem like the stuff of sci-fi fantasy, but many of these digital dining innovations are already on their way to a restaurant near you.